8 Wastes of Lean Management

1. Defects - is caused by improper inventory and production levels, machine use,

documentation, process, and customer understanding which can lead to numerous
problems including customer satisfaction. This can be avoided by formalized document
control and design change documentation.
2. Excess Processing - is caused by doing more than what should be done with poor
communication, customer understanding, and reporting. This can be avoided by
process mapping.
3. Overproduction - is the production of goods more than the usual and can affect labors
and defects. This can be avoided by using takt time, measured and process-mapped
jobs, and Kanban.
4. Waiting - is the result of having a long process in the production which can impact the
employees’ performance and production outcome. This can be avoided by using takt
time and creation of standard work.
5. Inventory - is the excess raw materials or goods that cannot be used in the present
time which can lead to waste if not used in the future. This can be avoided by
purchasing only what is needed in a certain amount of time.
6. Transportation - is used to transport materials or goods from place to place and might
result to high fuel, equipment, and labor costs. This can be prevented by using value
stream mapping and partial or full changes in factory layout.
7. Motion - is the work that costs a lot but does not have value. This can be avoided by
having a facility layout and an optimized workplace.
8. Non-utilized Talent - is the bad performance employees caused by poor hiring,
training, or positioning of work. This can be avoided by giving trainings and growth
opportunities to them.